Tag: goodness

Sculpting – 3rd September 2023

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

With a hammer in hand
Chiselling at the stone
Crafting at the life planned
In one’s thoughts alone

Painting cloudless skies
To fall down to this earth
Daydream a new surprise
Meaning defines its worth

An artist in every way
Reflecting deep-held traits
When words can never say
The statue silently states

Today I’m feeling:

Pretty good but in some pain. I fell asleep on my back last night which was pretty unusual for me but I soon woke up needing to pee. Back to side sleeping, my shoulders ached me awake again a few times so when my alarm went off I wanted to sleep a bit more but then I was feeling pain on the left side of my jaw as my rotten teeth decided it was time to tell me to go back the dentist. With needing to pee again it was time to get up. I still managed to motivate myself with a 100 star-jumps and out to have a day of coffee, reading and ironing.

Today I’m grateful for:

Being able to watch a funny podcast on YouTube that made ironing 17 shirts more pleasant than normal.

The best thing about today was:

I found out Hayden has a new girlfriend called Vashti and I was surprised to hear that she is Aboriginal. I’m not sure why I find that surprising. I only ever met his first girlfriend who was a stereotypical pretty blonde-haired blue-eyed girl. He sounded very happy today and looking forward to his new job doing support work which he is hoping to start in the next week or two.

What was out of your control today and how did you handle it?

In general, the garden is out of my control or more specifically it is too big and I’m too lazy to get it under control fully. My priorities lay elsewhere. Handled by Amy asking if we needed the gardeners to come again to which I replied ‘Yes!’

Something I learned today?

Having removed a ton of YouTube subscriptions I returned to Little Chinese Everywhere and Yan’s journey from Europe to China. This time she was in a small Georgian village nestled in amongst rolling green mountains. One particular interaction stood out to me when the old lady owner brought breakfast and Yan said thank you in Georgian and the old lady gave her a hug and said thank you in Chinese. It reminded me of the goodness within most of humanity.

What mystery fascinates me?

Ultimately the mysteries of the truths of the world. Growing to be more aware of histories written by victors or manipulated by those in a position of strength I’m left contemplating what it is that I know that is true. So many lies are so often repeated these days and so much information and counter-information is available. What is it that I should believe?

Mysteries of origin, the universe, the planet, humanity. How can it not entertain the mind? The existential mystery of meaning.

The mystery of what I will eat tomorrow.

I took this picture because I found Tigger sitting here in the unkempt grass and though his colour is stark against the green in this picture he somehow blends in and would be difficult to spot for unsuspecting critters wandering by. Here he just seemed to be enjoying the sun after dinner and looking a little majesterial.

The Myths We Made – 11th November 2022

~ shaun tenzenmen ~ Leave a comment

So much for the myths we made
Throwing rocks at the running police
Looking out from the tenth-floor flat
And dreaming of release

The tunes were busting on the stereo
And cigarette smoke filled the room
Bass was shaking the floor below
They were banging with a broom

Nothing to do and nowhere to go
We made fists and painted shirts
Promised ourselves we’d never stop
No matter how much it hurts

Time went on and the myths grew large
So much, they hung around our necks
Weighed down with hypocrisy
Until the truth could no longer flex

The tragedy of being human is that even when we are doing our best to be kind and compassionate, sometimes we still hurt and get hurt by others. In moments like this, I believe that compassion becomes a matter of faith: Choosing to believe in our own innate goodness, even when others refuse to see it; and choosing to believe in the goodness of others, even when they are refusing to show it.

Kai Cheng Thom

Today I’m feeling:
Relaxed and happy
Today I’m grateful for:
Being able to accompany Amy via video call as she makes her drunken way from the city to her home in the early hours.
The best thing about today was:
Talking to Jochen for a two-and-a-half-hour catch-up on things. It felt very comfortable and natural even though we haven’t talked except via messages for more than a year. We have a common understanding born from our musical backgrounds despite having variations in taste. We get it. Jochen is one of my tribe.
Daily thought
Do you remember a time you let something external bother you too much?
Yes, too many times, unfortunately. Sometimes the situation feels like it can’t be escaped due to financial responsibility and risk for example quitting a job to get away from a shitty manager. In cases like that, it feels like having no control and I couldn’t be brave enough to get away. Perhaps ego also plays a part and wanting to be right to the detriment of my own health. Looking back it is easier to see that I could have understood the situation better and concentrated on the things that I could control rather than get upset about the things I couldn’t. Just thinking about some of those situations now though still winds me up so I wonder if I could behave better if it happened again. I’m weak and in denial. Maybe one day I’ll get it!
Write a thank you letter to someone you love.
Well, I didn’t do this specifically but I did get a burst of energy today writing emails about vinyl production and south-east Asian touring possibilities. Talking with Jochen for a couple of hours sort of fills this criterion too. I don’t consider myself to have many good friends but I love those that I do have and that includes Jochen. He’s one of the good ones.

I took this picture because I was surprised to see this little fella just sitting here camouflaged in the early evening. Better than finding them dried up under the sofa!